American Postal Workers Union
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The American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is a
labor union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...
in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. It represents over 200,000 employees and retirees of the
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
who belong to the Clerk, Maintenance, Motor Vehicle, and Support Services divisions. It also represents approximately 2,000 private-sector mail workers.


History

Postal workers in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
first won
collective bargaining Collective bargaining is a process of negotiation between employers and a group of employees aimed at agreements to regulate working salaries, working conditions, benefits, and other aspects of workers' compensation and labour rights, rights for ...
rights after the U.S. postal strike of 1970. Two organizations of postal clerks emerged in the 1890s; they merged in 1899 into the United National Association of Post Office Clerks (UNAPOC). It was too conservative for the AFL, which in 1906 sponsored the
National Federation of Post Office Clerks The National Federation of Post Office Clerks (NFPOC) was a labor union representing clerks working in post offices in the United States. History At the start of the 20th century, the main union of post office clerks was the United National Assoc ...
(NFPOC), which soon surpassed the UNAPOC. NFPOC grew from 16,000 members in 1922, to 36,000 in 1932, and nearly 50,000 by 1940. It did not engage in strikes, but spent much of its efforts in opposing hostile Congressional legislation. Additional rivals were formed in the 1930s, but the first serious rival was the National Postal Clerks Union (NPCU) that began in 1958; by 1970, the NPCU had reached a membership of 80,000. Merger discussions dragged on for years, until finally the NFPOC, UNAPOC, the National Postal Transport Association, and others merged in 1961 as the United Federation of Postal Clerks. In 1971 five unions combined into the American Postal Workers Union. They were the
United Federation of Postal Clerks The United Federation of Postal Clerks (UFPC) was a labor union representing clerks working for the post office in the United States. History The union was established on April 17, 1961, with the merger of the National Federation of Post Office Cl ...
, the
National Postal Union The National Postal Union (NPU) was a labor union representing workers in the postal service in the United States. History The union was founded in 1958, as a split from the United Federation of Postal Clerks (UFPC). It soon became an industrial ...
, the
National Association of Post Office and General Service Maintenance Employees The National Association of Post Office and General Services Maintenance Employees (NAPOGSME) was a labor union representing mechanics working for the United States Postal Service. The union was founded in 1937, as the National Association of Post ...
, the
National Federation of Post Office Motor Vehicle Employees The National Federation of Post Office Motor Vehicle Employees (NFPOMVE) was a labor union representing workers for the United States Postal Service. The union was founded in 1924, as the National Association of Post Office Chauffeurs and Mechani ...
, and the
National Association of Special Delivery Messengers The National Association of Special Delivery Messengers (SDM) was a labor union representing United States Postal Service workers. The union was founded in 1932, and was chartered by the American Federation of Labor in 1937. It transferred to th ...
, with a combined membership of 280,000. On August 20, 2007, the previously independent National Postal Professional Nurses (NPPN) merged with the APWU. As a result of this merger, the members of the NPPN were granted membership in the Support Services Division of the APWU. The NPPN-APWU represents over 90 occupational health nurses who are employed by the Postal Service. This 2007 merger was the first merger of any postal unions in the United States since the U.S. postal strike of 1970.


S. 1507

On Thursday, July 30, 2009, the
Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee The United States Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs is the chief oversight committee of the United States Senate. It has jurisdiction over matters related to the Department of Homeland Security and other homeland sec ...
voted, 12–1, in favor of S. 1507 (Postal Service Retiree Health Benefits Funding Reform Act of 2009), which would provide financial relief to the Postal Service. An amendment, offered by Sen.
Tom Coburn Thomas Allen Coburn (March 14, 1948 – March 28, 2020) was an American politician and medical doctor, physician who served as a United States senator from Oklahoma from 2005 to 2015. A Republican Party (United States), Republican, Coburn ...
(R-OK), requiring the arbitrator to take into consideration the financial health of the Postal Service when deciding Postal Union contracts, was added prior to its passage. Sen.
Joe Lieberman Joseph Isadore Lieberman (; February 24, 1942 – March 27, 2024) was an American politician and lawyer who served as a United States senator from Connecticut from 1989 to 2013. Originally a member of the Democratic Party (United States), Dem ...
(ID-CT), chairman of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs, and Sen.
Tom Carper Thomas Richard Carper (born January 23, 1947) is an American politician and former military officer who served from 2001 to 2025 as a United States Senate, United States senator from Delaware. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), D ...
(D-DE), chairman of the subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government information, Federal Services and International Security, supported the amendment, and voted with committee
Republicans Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
for its adoption. The American Postal Workers Union,
National Postal Mail Handlers Union The National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) is a progressive labor union representing more than 50,000 Mail Handler craft members in United States Postal Service facilities across the United States. History The union was founded in New Jers ...
, the NALC and the NRLCA have all voiced opposition to S. 1507 with its inclusion of the arbitrator amendment.


American Postal Workers Accident Benefit Association

This Association was organized as a fraternal benefit society for railway clerks by five men in
Portsmouth, New Hampshire Portsmouth is a city in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, Rockingham County, New Hampshire, United States. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census it had a population of 21,956. A historic seaport and popular summer tourist destination on ...
in 1898. The original name of the association was the National Association of Railway Postal Clerks. The name of the society was changed to Railway Mail Association in 1904, and the National Postal Transport Association in 1949. In 1961 it became the United Federation of Postal Clerks Benefit Association. It adopted its present name in 1972. Membership is open to all members of the American Postal Workers Union who are employed as postal workers. In 1979, there were 23,000 members in 604 local branches. Branch meetings are held concurrently with meetings of the American Postal Workers Union. In addition to insurance benefits, the APW-ABA sponsors blood banks,
Boy Scout A Scout, Boy Scout, Girl Scout or, in some countries, a Pathfinder is a participant in the Scout Movement, usually aged 10–18 years, who engage in learning scoutcraft and outdoor and other special interest activities. Some Scout organizatio ...
troops, conducts drives for community and medical research funds, and visits sick and disabled members. The highest authority is the National Convention, which meets biennially. Headquarters are in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. There is a brief initiation ritual, in which the candidate pledges to support the US constitution, the laws of the society, become acquainted with the history of the society and defend its principles. The candidate also pledges "to be considerate to the widow and the orphan; the weak and the defenseless; to defend freedom of thought and expression; and to promote the spirit of fraternity." There are no religious elements in the ritual, though the regular order of business includes provisions for an invocation. In 1979, the American Postal Workers Accident Benefit Association was a member of the
National Fraternal Congress of America The American Fraternal Alliance (AFA) is an umbrella group of fraternal orders in the United States. It was founded as the National Fraternal Congress of America in 1913, in Chicago, Illinois.Alan Axelrod ''International Encyclopedia of Secret Soc ...
, however it does not appear on the current list of members of the Congress, now known as the American Fraternal Alliance.


Presidents

:1971: Francis S. Filbey :1977:
Emmet Andrews Emmet Charles Andrews (August 3, 1916 – November 8, 1981) was an American labor union leader. Born in San Francisco, Andrews worked as a clerk for the United States Post Office from 1936, and joined the National Federation of Post Office Cle ...
:1980:
Moe Biller Morris "Moe" Biller (November 5, 1915 – September 5, 2003) was an American labor union leader. Born in Manhattan, Biller was educated at Seward Park High School, Brooklyn College and City College, before in 1937 becoming a substitute post ...
:2001:
Bill Burrus William Henry Burrus (December 13, 1936 – May 19, 2018) was an American labor union leader. Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Burrus studied at West Virginia State College, then joined the United States Army, serving in the 101st Airborne Divi ...
:2010:
Cliff Guffey Cliff Guffey is a former American labor union leader. Born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, Guffey moved frequently as a child, as his father was a pilot in the United States Navy. In 1968, Cliff joined the United States Marine Corps and served in the Vietn ...
:2013:
Mark Dimondstein Mark Dimondstein is an American labor union leader. Dimondstein began working for the United States Postal Service in Greensboro, North Carolina, in 1983. He joined the American Postal Workers Union (APWU), and in 1986 he was elected as president ...


See also

*
United States Postal Service The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or simply the Postal Service, is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the federal governmen ...
*
National Association of Letter Carriers The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) is an American labor union, representing non-rural letter carriers employed by the United States Postal Service. It was founded in 1889. The NALC has 2,500 local branches representing letter c ...
*
National Postal Mail Handlers Union The National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU) is a progressive labor union representing more than 50,000 Mail Handler craft members in United States Postal Service facilities across the United States. History The union was founded in New Jers ...
*
National Rural Letter Carriers' Association The National Rural Letter Carriers' Association (NRLCA) is an American labor union that represents the rural letter carriers of the United States Postal Service (USPS). The NRLCA negotiates all labor agreements for the rural carrier craft with the ...


References


External links

*
Seattle APWU News (1970-1991)
from
the Labor Press Project The Labor Press Project: Pacific Northwest Labor and Radical Newspapers is a multimedia website housing thousands of digitized articles and editions from the late 19th century to the present. Newspapers and newsletters from unions, early sociali ...
* {{Authority control AFL-CIO affiliates UNI Global Union United States Postal Service Postal trade unions in the United States Trade unions established in 1971 1971 establishments in the United States